Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen also stars as role model for kids

Cutch is clutch.

In a time when we read that the Doctors Without Borders hospital has been bombed twice, our political candidates behave like idiots and many of our sports heroes are suspect, I would like to thank Andrew McCutchen for spending four hours with 200 kids at IMG eight days ago. As a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, myself and my Little Brothers were invited to a baseball camp at IMG, for free.

The ProCamp was the best camp I have ever attended. There were so many caring coaches and the facility is second to none.

I talked to the owner of ProCamp and he said Andrew McCutchen (Cutch), a Pittsburgh Pirates star, is always this way. Wow, local boy makes good. Wins MVP, Silver Slugger, etc., and still has four hours to share with kids. Cutch recently won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for performance on and off the field.

I watched him open the camp, talk with every one of the 200 kids individually, sign autographs and photos, and close the camp with some powerful words. He said you can all control two things, attitude and effort. You may not be the fastest or the strongest, but if you keep trying and act appropriately, you are a winner.

Thanks, Cutch, for inspiring these kids. You are a wonderful role model. While I remain a diehard Red Sox fan, I will forever be an Andrew McCutchen fan.

Dave Potter

Bradenton

This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen also stars as role model for kids ."